Pierz, MN

Pierz was incorporated as Rich Prairie in 1892, then its 48 citizens voted unanimously to rename it for Father Francis Xavier Pierz, a Slovenian-born missionary priest. St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, which he established, still stands in the center and remains part of the town’s civic landscape. The city grew as German Catholic settlers built an agriculture-based community, and the annual Oktoberfest keeps that heritage on the calendar with a parade, park party, fun run, and medallion hunt. Pierz is a Minnesota town where the founding name, church, and festival all point to the same immigrant story.